NovemBRRR

It's starting to get really chilly outside...and I decided to try really hard to have Christmas spirit this year. Chris put our tree up at the beginning of November (I don't like it up till after Thanksgiving, but he won this year...) and I have to admit, I am feeling festive! Gonna try really hard to ignore the commercialism this year and not be annoyed by things like 'X mas' (Christ is the reason for the holiday after all) and the incessant repetition of the same Christmas songs on the radio for almost 2 months. I am going to try and ignore the retailers trying to cash in (Happy Holidays! half-off green beans! ), the impatience of shoppers waiting in line, driving too fast, and being downright rude.

Instead, I am going to follow Buddy the Elf's advice: The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is by singing LOUDLY for all to hear!

And revel in the wonderment that Drew feels this time of year. He loves Birthdays! Especially Jesus'. :)

Peace to you this Christmas and Holiday season...no matter what you celebrate, share the love!

Hollow-een

Halloween is probably my least favorite holiday. Drew seems to like it, so we do the pumpkins, costumes, and trick or treating. My fave part of it is hanging out at the Madigan's with them and their neighbors. Jim and Jen bought the house we all grew up in, and I love going back there, trick-or-treating and seeing the old neighbors. NOT OLD! I mean, my former neighbors! :)
Jim and Jen's friends/neighbors and their kids are wonderful, and welcome us whenever we are over there for holidays, gatherings, or just-becauses.
We were looking forward to seeing the old (and new) neighbors and trick-0r-treating, but Boogie is not feeling well. He is super congested, had a fever today and is very lethargic. Thank Goodness he doesn't eat candy, and had a great time at his school party! It was enough for him. I wish he felt better. I have been giving him allllll kinds of love, snuggles, and essential oils to make him feel better.
I hope everyone had a great weekend, and we are looking forward to Thanksgiving. THAT is a real holiday. Togetherness, family, love, no commericalism, and fun. :)

Girl Power!

Too bad this picture is so small...it's an awesome shot of my niece Morgan in action. She is a kicker for Warren Mott's JV football team...she got the position after showing her mad skills on the field during a homecoming pep rally event. She has played soccer her whole life, and was a kicker for St. Anne Football team a few years back. She is an amazing young woman who excels in whatever she does. Drew is very proud of his cousin! We all went to cheer her on at her game last night...it was a great game. Mott beat Dakota 28-12 and Morgan made all four of her extra points!!! It was so cute seeing her with her blond ponytail hanging out from her helmet, and she looked so tiny next to all those big guys!

It was so great seeing the family and cheering for Morgan. :)

Heading to Zoo Boo tonight with Monika and Danny...looking forward to it!

Homecoming 2010

This weekend was the St. Anne Homecoming. Connor plays for the 8th grade team, Brendan plays for the 5th grade. St. Anne is the school that me and my entire family attended from 1st to 12th grade for my sibs, 1st to 10th grade for me. The High School closed at the end of my Sophmore year. My brother Jim coaches football (Coach Mad-dog) and Drew and I love to watch his cousins play and watch Uncle G's team.

Aunt Terri came in from VA for a visit, and to catch the games. We had the best time! She ROCKS!!!!

It was cold, windy, rainy...but we wouldn't have it any other way! We got to see Connor get an interception on Friday night, (and see our fam) See Morgan play soccer on Sat morning (and see our fam) and see Brendan score a touchdown after a 50 yard run(and see our fam). It's football season, and we just bundled up, cheered our hearts out, and had a blast. Drew loved every second of it. He loved hanging out with Aunt Terri and Aunt Kate. Loved the cheerleaders. Loved the attention he got from the St. Anne family/friends of the Madigans. We even rocked out between plays, courtesy of the DJ in the announcer booth!! Drew loves Twister Sister. He is his father's child. :)

Good times, Good times.

Pee Pee on the Potty

We are so proud of Boogie! We started trying to toilet him a few months ago...even though he doesn't have a good or consistent way to tell us he has to go. I figured it was worth a shot, trying. He surprised us! He has been pretty successful at home. We put him on a few times a day and sometimes he goes! He started school a few weeks ago in a new classroom. His new teacher got a potty seat that she thought would work for him. He went Pee Pee on the Potty today at school! He is so proud of himself!!! We are so freakin' proud of him!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He still lacks a good way to communicate that he HAS to go--but he is sure trying to make himself go when we put him on the potty. Also, today, he wanted yogurt and grain bars for dinner (turned down ravioli and beef with peppers-he made a 'yuk face') and was sooo happy he got what he wanted! His teeth were bugging him and he wanted something sweet and easy for dinner today. I am so proud of him...

MDA telethon

Drew and I walked with some friends this past May for tha Stride and Ride, and fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. We walked on our friend Marisa's team, she has MD. We raised almost $1000 and reached our goal of sending a kid to camp. It was a blast, and our team 'Marissa's Musicmakers' are looking forward to the next walk...this time it will be in January at Ford Field in Detroit.

The MDA called Lisa (Marissa's mom) and told her that they wanted her to present the check at the Telethon to the MDA! It was a great honor and Lisa wanted us to join her. Drew and I went to the local channel 20 studios to present the check with Lisa & Marissa. Drew was fine until we had to go into the actual studio and wait our turn to go on the air. He was crabbing so much, we wound up waiting outside the studio room, but we got to see Lisa on TV! She did a great job! It was very nice that she included us...and we were happy to be there. We will be walking again in January...I will hit you all up for donations in a few months. It is a great cause...although Drew has Cerebral Palsy and not MD, we are all a united family and will help out any cause we believe in!! Thanks everyone for your continued support of the blog and my attempts at fundraising!

Well Said.

Please check out this powerful blog posting about the 'R' word.

http://davehingsburger.blogspot.com/2010/08/people-who-are.html